Catheter.



No. 761,235. PATENTED MAY 31, 1904. I. F. KEPLBR.

CATHETER.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG-.1, 1902.-

N0 MODEL.

Witueooea d 'gwpewboz 1 2 I v Q v .UNITED STATES Patented May 31, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

IRWIN FLOYD KEBIJER, AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE B. F. GOOD- RICHCOMPANY, OF AKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

CATHETER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 761,235, dated May 31,1904.

-- Application filed August '7, 1902.

To (LZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRWIN FLoYD KEPLER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of Akron, county of Summit, and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Catheters, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My improvement particularly relates to catheters of rubber. In thesecatheters the end below the eye is made either hollow or solid. The tipof the hollow-end catheter is not only liable to retain infectiousmatter, but also lacks that certain degree of rigidity necessary tosecure proper penetration. The tip of the solid-end catheter, whileavoiding the. danger of carrying infection, has the decided disadvantageof being as much too hard as the hollow end is too soft, andconsequently is a source of irritation to the patient.

To make a catheter combining the advantages of both structures and freefrom their disadvantages is the object of my invention. I effect this byconfining air in a cell formed in the otherwise solid end of thecatheter, so as to form a pneumatic cushion.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my improvement, Figure 1 is aview of a flexible catheter, shown in section in Fig. 2.

, Similar reference-letters indicate corresponding parts in each View.

A is the tube of the catheter, and B is its Serial No. 118,789. (Nomodel.)

rounded distal end. O is the eye. D is the inclosed air-cell between theextremity B and E, which is a dam or partition sloping from the distalextremity of the eye to the back inner wall of the tube and integraltherewith, confining air in the cell D between the distal end B and thesaid dam E. The extremity of the instrument so formed is exceedinglysoft, yet has the rigidity required for penetration, and the furtheradvantage of constantly and positively tending to retain its shapecombining with a catheter the positive action of adilator. Thisconstruction affords the desirable qualities of suppleness, flexibility,elasticity, resiliency, and compressibility in higher degree than isattainable in any of the prior forms of instrument.

It is obvious that my improvement is not limited to catheters only, butis equally applicable to other forms of tubular surgical exploringinstruments of rubber in which a firm yet soft and resilient part isdesirable.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim is An elasticcatheter having an inclosed aircell in its distal end.

RICHARD GRIFFITH, HERMAN CARL MUKER.

